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Monday, February 13, 2012

How Big Is The Republican "Big Tent"?

Thank you to everyone who has signed up to help with marriage petition circulation. Terrific response so far.

If you are willing to help and have not done so yet, please take a minute and sign up here.

If you have signed up , perhaps you could encourage friends and family members to join us in Standing For Marriage.

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Today, Governor Gregoire will walk away from the teaching of her parents and her church and perhaps her own sense of what is morally right and will sign into law SB 6239, a law that redefines marriage, undermining the sanctity of our oldest and most fundamental spiritual and cultural institution. One that predates organized civilization itself.

The response of conservatives and people of faith is to seek to overturn the bill because we believe it is wrong and harmful. As you know, that process is well under way.

We believe redefining marriage in this way stands in defiance to biblical teaching, accepted social mores and the biology of normal human sexual relationships. It steals from children the right and psychological need for a male father and a female mother in their most formative years.

And it does not provide "equality." It provides "special rights."

Certainly, biblical Christians and many conservatives are committed to overturning the bill and making political corrections as best we can, which includes electing people to public office who reflect and support our deeply held social and spiritual beliefs. Most of us in that category are Republicans. Not all, but most.

So...... I received an email on Friday from Alex Hayes.

Alex is the executive director of the "Main Stream Republicans of Washington." I have known Alex for a number of years. Many of you who live in Washington know him as well. I like and respect him as a person. I believe that is mutual. However, I have profound and fundamental differences with him regarding certain beliefs. As he does with me.

The following is his email. Read it, then I have a couple of questions for you.

Dear Gary,

Yesterday I talked to my friend Maureen. She'd made a big decision and a few people were angry with her. I could tell she needed to hear a few kind words of support. I gave her a hug, and told her that I thought she'd done the right thing.

My friend is Representative Maureen Walsh and the big decision she made was to vote for marriage equality in the State House.

Maureen wasn't the only friend I talked to yesterday. I reached out to members who had voted both for the marriage bill and against. I can tell you that all of them cast their votes sincerely and conducted themselves in the debate with great courtesy and thoughtfulness. Civility prevailed in the legislature.

The Mainstream Republicans of Washington believe in a big tent for our party - a tent large enough to include both supporters of marriage equality and defenders of traditional marriage. We know that a belief in limited government, and a coalition large enough to elect majorities in the State House and Senate, depends on socially moderate Republicans.

Where civility prevailed on the floor, it's failing in some of the angry comments directed at both supporters and opponents of the bill.

This is why I need a favor from you - regardless of your view on gay marriage I'd like you to call the following legislators and thank them for their work.

Representative Maureen Walsh - 5th LD - (360) 786-7836

Representative Glenn Anderson - 16th LD - (360) 786-7876

Senator Steve Litzow - 41st LD - (360) 786-7641

Senator Andy Hill - 45th LD - (360) 786-7672

Senator Joe Fain - 47th LD - (360) 786-7692

Senator Cheryl Pflug - 5th LD - (360) 786-7608

One truth that unites us all is that the most important issue facing our state is the budget.

With the marriage bill passed it's time to refocus and deal with the profound mismanagement of the state by the Democrats. Cleaning up this mess will require every Republican in the legislature. It will also require a Republican Governor, A Republican Senate and a Republican House.

United, we will prevail in 2012.

Kind regards,

Alex Hays
Executive Director, Mainstream Republicans of Washington.

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A couple of questions:

How "big" should the Republican Party "tent" be?

Should Conservatives and Christian citizens vote for and support politicians who do not support some of our most fundamental moral beliefs, such as the sanctity of life, of marriage and of the family? What if they support some of our moral beliefs but not others? What if they are fiscally conservative, but not socially conservative? Should we vote for the proverbial "half loaf?" The lessor of two evils?

Should I work for and contribute money to the Party in the name of unity, for the sake of "winning," even if the Party is not united in support of the moral positions that originally drew me to the Party? Many in Party leadership advocate that those social issues should not be given priority by Republicans, even though the Democrats and far left have made redefining marriage their number one priority this session---above all fiscal and budget matters.

Is civility the highest virtue in government? I'm not advocating otherwise, I'm asking you to think about it. What do you think?

Is any "future success" dependent upon electing social moderates?

Is the proper response to those Republicans who voted to redefine marriage, to call and "thank them for their work?" Or to look for an alternative and work to replace them in the next election with someone who represents your moral views?

Thank you, Alex, for bringing this to mind.

I know I will get calls from certain people suggesting I ought not to have said all this. It is happening more and more frequently.

I am not suggesting anything other than that people give these questions some serious and prayerful thought. Please feel free to share your thoughts, they will be read by many.

17 comments:

Do not appreciate the Mainstream Republicans. But sounds to me the way some think the Republicans are the party of christians could not be more mistaken . The very way politicaL issues are discussed are contrary to the Gospel and the message of redemtion and Salvation . In fact politics ddoes its best to remember past failures.

Christ will not be mocked , and just perhaps some the political happenings of today is Judgement by God on the world , but on His church .

We should be reaching out to the elast of these , not just with the word , but with helping the needs physically and socially . We should be walking side by side wth thiose in the world that are o-pen to it . And there are many who are open to the Gospel , but not open to the rhetoric of politics. The Gospel works by attraction , not by marriage laws . marriage laws were meant for helping kids and families , the church lost that ability to sperak to those issues when we became victims of the break down of the family ourselves .

I commend you for printing Alex Hays’ (you show two spellings) letter and I believe you are asking these questions sincerely. So I would like to respond.

I come from very large, mostly Republican military family. As a result, many of the people in my life are Republicans – parents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and fellow military brats from high school. Also, in the circle of friends I have gathered as an adult, many are Republicans, mostly because I work in a conservative industry with deep roots in the South.

There’s something fundamental I see happening in the Republican party related to the issue of equal marriage rights for gays: I have encountered hundreds of Republicans who were former opponents who are now supporters, but I have not once encountered a Republican who has moved in the other direction. What’s more, these Republicans have been convincing other Republicans to support equal marriage for gays, too. We see this reflected in the polls and in the contributions that Republicans are making to pass marriage equality laws, such as in our own state and recently in NY. What’s going on?

One of our fundamental and most conservative American values is that we give each other space to make personal choices (within reason, of course) and we respect those choices in the public sphere as a way of maintaining the freedom to make our own choices. We do not have to approve or value everything our neighbors do, and enshrining our own personal value system into laws that restrict others’ freedoms clashes with one of our country’s – and the Republican party’s - core values.

Whether we like it or not, gay people are forming families and relationships in all the same ways that straight people are. The referendum on this law won’t change that, but it will diminish and harm a minority, a sizable chunk which votes Republican. And it does make Republicans who support same-sex marriage think twice about their votes when they see the harm done to the gay families in their families and communities.

Americans are smart people, and a majority of us now supports same-sex marriage. This is a single issue and it does not mean we are moving toward an “anything goes” culture. This issue is making progress not because of Hollywood, or movies, or songs, or through marketing. It’s making progress because there’s something to it that speaks to people’s sense of right and wrong, and the desire to fix an injustice that clashes with our country’s core values.

Regarding your posting from Alex Hayes:Please read Rev 3:14-22. Sadly, the message from the Republican big tent seems to be "put up with, turn a blind eye, and make peace". We are not to be lukewarm in our faith. I'm sorry Alex, I simply can't support you in this. (Spokane)

My prayers are up to date. I don't need to make a special prayer. I will do all in my personal sphere of influence to defeat those who would abandon such a solid moral platform as marriage for a lie. If they can be persuaded by such incredibly shallow arguments, that brings their sanity and ability to conduct reasonable business for our state into question.

It does not take a 'rocket scientist' to see the obvious reasons that men don't go with men and women don't go with women. It just doesn't get more fundamental than that. Makes me think of that very old children's book "The Emperor Has No Clothes". Who could have imagined that there would ever be a reasonable electorate that could consider homosexual behavior normal? Never in a million years I would have said. But it has proved that people can be persuaded to believe just about anything if there are enough 'heartfelt' 'logical' seemingly 'reasonable' arguments presented.

What ever happened to COMMON SENSE. It doesn't take even a child to know that homosexuality is not normal.

Gary - as usual, you are "right on!" God Bless you for your constant adherence to biblical teaching! Obviously most of our pastors have failed in educating their flocks. How these republican legislators can have voted for this egregious bill is mind boggling. I WILL call all of them, and courteously tell them how wrong I feel they are! Clearly the gay community already has all the "rights" that the heterosexuals have; what they are trying to do now is for us to deny the truth, deny our God, turn our backs on Him and "Bless!" their "marriage?" That is abominable to the extreme. Should we do that, all participants in such a farce will be damned. This is just another way of trying to persecute the Christian Church! And all Christians as well. Where is our Constitution which provides all citizens with the right of conscience! I am heart-sickened.

WOW......love, love, love is what it's all about folks!!! The "Mainstream Republicans" whose champion is Rob McKenna wrote this??? This is who the leaders of the state GOP today really are????? Time for change in the GOP.....this is not who the grassroots are...trust me!!!!!!!

I found it very interesting that Alex says a Republican cannot be elected without the moderate vote. Sam Reed has been saying that for a long time. I'm wondering if a moderate Republican can get elected without the conservative, Christian vote. I think not. We'll see.

What? "time to refocus and deal with the profound mismanagement of the state"

We trashed the foundation of civilization and now we need to deal with mismanagement? He just doesn't get it. We have economic problems because we have moral problems. We have forgotten who God is, we just want the Manna.

How big should the tent be? I say just big enough for God and nothing else. That may sound narrow minded, but then the whole Bible, all the prophets and Jesus Himself were pretty narrow minded on that subject.

As for whether to support a candidate or a party that is not upholding my values - values of honoring God and upholding our Constitution - I say "Never!" You see, I'm not called to pick the winner. I'm not called to figure out how to save the country from the feared and dreaded liberals. I'm called to the Fear of The Lord - trusting, honoring and reverencing Him. I'm called to trust in the lord with all my might and not lean on my own understanding that might be tempted to think "if I vote for this candidate, then that one might win, or if I vote for that one, then . . . . . "

I can have compassion for a candidate or public official who on occasion might "miss it." I can even work with sincere people who have a less than perfect understanding of the correct application of Biblical principles or of the intent of the framers of the Constitution. However, when a candidate or a political party demonstrates that they either lack the capacity to understand such principles, that they simply don't care, or that they have come to hold such values in contempt, then I'll not compromise away my values in order to support such a candidate or party just because it is deemed necessary to defeat some supposed greater evil. I'd rather loose the political battle and win God's favor than the other way around.